


Freakshow

by circuschickadee



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: (Except not really AU because for once there is actually a canonical circus!!), Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Circus, Families of Choice, Gen, Overly technical descriptions of how a circus functions, Swearing, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-05 07:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14039634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circuschickadee/pseuds/circuschickadee
Summary: Somewhere out in the night, both ahead and behind them, were the other vehicles carrying the rest of the circus. In his head, Molly saw them as stars, or as sparks from a fire, all floating in the dark on their own, but burning bright, strung along the roads in a ragged constellation pointing towards Home.Or:The modern circus AU that nobody asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently I have a schtick, and that is to write circus versions of all my favorite fandoms. Sorrynotsorry. I'm new to Critical Role, having been tossed headfirst into this world by [Verity_Kindle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verity_Kindle/pseuds/Verity_Kindle) (you should all go read her stuff she's frickin' amazing) about a month ago, but boy have I fallen hard for these people and their fantastic characters. I hope you all enjoy!

Life in the circus ain't easy,

But the folks on the outside don't know,

Yeah the tent goes up,

And the tent comes down,

And all that they see is the show.

-Ani DiFranco, Freakshow

 

 

Mollymauk Tealeaf yawned and blinked rapidly for a moment, hands tightening around the steering wheel. Outside, the sky was the dull orange of urban light pollution on a cloudy night, but the cab of the truck was dark, lit only by the glowing dials on the console and the dashboard clock, which was currently informing Molly that it was 2:33 am.

He yawned again, then jumped as someone poked his side. His hands stayed steady on the wheel as he half turned to glare at the large woman crowded into the passenger seat.

 "What?" he demanded.

 Wordlessly, Yasha held out a travel cup of coffee, her mismatched eyes giving him a significant look.

 Molly groaned dramatically, grabbing the cup with one hand. "You're an angel, darling, truly, have I told you that recently?" He took a generous gulp of the once-hot coffee, grimacing at the bitterness. "An angel with no appreciation for the sweeter things in life."

 "Just because you seem intent on giving yourself tooth decay doesn't mean all of us have to," Yasha muttered, stowing the now-empty thermos at her feet and glancing over her shoulder into the back seat.

 "Still asleep?" Molly asked quietly. Looking in the rearview mirror, the Knot sisters were just a vague dark lump of blankets and tangled limbs.

 Yasha grunted an affirmative, turning back to glare out into the night. Not that there was anything particularly irksome about this specific night (morning?), though buildup would be a bitchand a half if those clouds followed through on their threat of rain. A glare was just Yasha's default expression most of the time. Molly had grown accustomed to it ages ago and no longer let it put him off.

 "How much more have we got?" he asked. Yasha grabbed a sheet of paper off the dashboard, one which proclaimed "Get Lost from Ulverston to Tooting Bec" across the top in bold letters.

 "Should be another 10 miles to the exit, then about 5 or so of city roads."

 Molly nodded and took another gulp of coffee, rolling his shoulders to get some of the tension out. These long nights on the road were going to kill his back, he was sure. Still, for all that, there was something undenyingly peaceful about jump nights, at least this late, when there wasn't much other traffic on the roads. Even central London could seem quiet and calm at the witching hour. The hum of the truck's massive engine, the rumble of the tires on the road, even the squeak of the plastic covered seats as Yasha shifted into a more comfortable position all seemed to blend together into it's own unique song.

 Somewhere out in the night, both ahead and behind them, were the other vehicles carrying the rest of the circus. In his head, Molly saw them as stars, or as sparks from a fire, all floating in the dark on their own, but burning bright, strung along the roads in a ragged constellation pointing towards Home.

 The thought made him grin lopsidedly, and he turned his face towards the window slightly to hide it. Yasha would smack the back of his head for being overly dramatic if he were to tell her about the image, but then, that was just part of her charm.

 The last few miles passed smoothly, until up ahead Molly could see the dark expanse of the park that would be their home for the coming week. The turn through the gate was a little tricky, it wasn't built to accommodate such big vehicles, but he managed it with only minimal swearing.

 "The Get Lost sheet says to turn left through the gate. We're in the south end of the park, by a pond, apparently," Yasha said.

 "Excellent! I can do some sunbathing." Molly grinned, pulling carefully onto the grass and doing his best not to jostle either his passengers or their homes as he navigated the dips and ridges in the soft turf.

 Ahead he could see the lights of a few other vehicles, and the headlights of his own truck reflecting off a hi-vis vest that was bobbing towards them out of the darkness. Soon the dark shape under the vest resolved into Bosun, striding towards them on his long legs. Molly rolled down his window as the tall man came up along side of them, putting a finger to his lips.

 "The twins are still asleep," Molly said, jerking his head towards the back of the darkened cab. Bosun nodded, smiling fondly.

 "Park yourself at an angle to Ornna's caravan, over on the left side there," he said, his deep voice blending with the hum of the engine, "I'm putting the other bunk wagon after you, once they finally get here."

 "Trouble?" Molly asked, looking sharply at Bosun's face. The big man shook his head.

 "No, Kylre just took a wrong turn. Shouldn't be more than a half hour behind everyone else."

 Molly nodded, reassured, and pulled the truck forward towards the circus ground. He could see Ornna's old Adria at the end of a short line of other caravans, and maneuvered the bunk wagon so it was at a right angle to it, doors facing inward towards the center of their slowly forming semicircle of vehicles.

 With a sigh, Molly killed the engine, the hiss of the air brakes echoing him as the truck settled into it's place for the next week. Yasha stepped down out of the cab and disappeared, presumably to start securing the trailer, while Molly turned and reached into the back seat.

 "Hey kiddos," he said, grabbing what felt like an ankle under the pile of coats and blankets and giving it a gentle shake, "We're here, we're home."

 The pile stirred, and two identical dark haired heads emerged, blinking sleepily at him.

 "Wha' time is it?" Mona mumbled as Yuli yawned hugely and rubbed her eyes.

 "About twenty past three, we made pretty good time. I'll let your ladder down, go get some proper sleep." He patted both their heads, something they probably wouldn't have stood for if they had been fully awake ("We're not _children_ anymore, Molly!"), and climbed stiffly out of the cab. His feet hit the damp grass, and he took a deep breath, patting the side of the truck fondly.

 "Good work, WC," he murmured to it. Another thing Yasha would probably roll her eyes at, but with how much they relied on these beat up old trucks, a little appreciation surely couldn't hurt.

 The trailer's white paint seemed to shine in the dull glow emanating from the sky, throwing the dark blue writing curling across it into sharp contrast. _Fletching and Moondrop Circus_ was what it said, but to Molly, the words read "Home," "Family," and "Belonging." Sometimes it still caught him off guard that he had managed to find those thing.

 Damn. Sleep deprivation was making him all sappy. Molly shook himself, and walked around to the other side of the trailer.

 There were four doors set at regular intervals along it's length, one for each of the three bunk rooms and another for the shared shower room at the far end. Each room had a ladder on hinges that was currently secured against the door for travel. Molly went to the first one, holding it up with one hand and pulling the release with the other. He could hear Yasha nearby, working the crank that would lower the legs of the trailer, leveling it off so they didn't all roll out of their beds in their sleep.

 The Knot sisters emerged just as he got the last ladder down, blankets draped around their shoulders. Mona waved at him sleepily as Yuli unlocked the door, and then both girls were up the ladder and gone, their door closing quietly behind them.

 Molly heard footsteps and turned to see Yasha ducking outfrom under the trailer.

 "All set, are we?" he asked. She nodded, face impassive.

 "Well then," Molly said, "Bedtime." Giving Yasha's shoulder a friendly pat, he turned and went to his own room at the end of the trailer. A moment of fumbling with his lock and he was home.

 The room was small, only 8 feet square, but it had everything he needed: a two burner gas stove, a sink, a small closet to hold his spare clothes and costumes, and a set of bunk beds, one of which served mostly as a storage space in the absence of a roommate.

 It wasn't much, maybe, but Molly felt his shoulder relax as soon as he was inside. It wasn't much, but it was his, and right now, there was no place he would rather be. He kicked his boots off by the door, dropped his coat in a pile, and fell headfirst into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Incomplete dictionary of circus terms.](http://josserstories.tumblr.com/dictionary)
> 
> Suuuuper thank you to Verity_Kindle, for betaing and also encouraging me to actually write/post this silly thing in the first place. *floaty hearts*
> 
> I'm [circuschickadee](http://circuschickadee.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr. Come flail with me about Critical Role or the circus or cats or whatever!


	2. Chapter 2

But underneath, there's another expression,

That the makeup isn't making,

Life under the Big Top,

It's about freedom, it's about faking,

There's an art to the laughter, there's a science,

And there's a lot of love, and compliance.

-Ani DiFranco, Freakshow

 

Through the tag end of the night, the sound of engines rumbling and air brakes hissing echoed around the park as the last of the circus vehicles found their way home. Through it all, Mollymauk slept, the dulled noise filtering through the walls of the bunk wagon a familiar lullaby.

Just as dawn was breaking over the circus in a wave of chilly fog, the sound of an electric guitar invaded Molly's sleeping brain and he jerked awake, still sprawled on top of his blankets, fully dressed.

" _There I was completely wasted, out of work and down_

_All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town..."_

Reaching a hand over the edge of the bed, he fumbled around on the floor for a moment before realizing that the sound was coming from under his discarded coat, which was currently over by the door. The room might be tiny, but that still put it well out of reach.

" _Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die_

_So I might as well begin to put some action in my life..._ "

With a groan, Molly shoved himself upright and half-flopped out of bed in the direction of the noise.

" _Breaking the law, breaking the law_

_Breaking the law, breaking the law..._ "

Fumbling through the pockets of his coat seemed to take much longer than usual, and he nearly dropped his phone twice before finally shutting off the alarm. The little room seemed overly silent as the music cut out, and Molly sighed, running one hand through his purple hair.

Gray light filtered through the little window above the sink, and outside the park was shrouded in mist. It always seemed odd when they first arrived at a new ground, to look out and have the tent, the literal and figurative center of their world, be absent. It was unsettling in a subtle way, like an itch that Molly couldn't quite scratch.

As if on cue, a tapping on the wall of his room broke him from his sleepy melancholy. Yasha was awake, and checking on him as usual. He tapped a reply ( _Yes, I'm up, don't worry, you don't need to come toss me out of bed, really..._ ), then bustled around his room, untying the cords that held everything securely on the shelves during jumps and pulling out his coffee things. Buildups required caffeine. Well, most things required caffeine, but buildup on a chilly morning after too little sleep even more so. And he really didn't want to rely on Yasha's "My soul is dark and bitter and my coffee is too," style of beverage.

Twenty minutes later, pleasantly caffeinated and stuffing the last bits of a sandwich into his mouth, Molly climbed down out of his room, his helmet tucked under one arm. All around the semi-circle of bunk wagons and caravans, doors were opening and people were emerging. Through the mist, Molly could see Yasha and Gustav, armed with spray paint and several sticks and coils of rope, marking out the placement of the tent on the dewey grass.

There was a clang and a dull thud, and Molly looked over to see Bosun opening the belly boxes on the underside of the tent truck. Molly headed over as Bosun started pulling out sledgehammers and long metal stakes, laying them in neat rows.

"Mornin'" he said, patting the larger man's muscled shoulder. Bosun grunted and mumbled a mostly unintelligible greeting, his mustache twitching. Apparently Molly wan't the only one who was wishing for a few more hours of shut-eye.

Molly's hammer was easily recognizable from amongst the others, as it, along with many of his other possessions, was purple. He had painted the handle at the beginning of the season, mostly to annoy Yasha, and though it was starting to look a little worse for wear, seeing it still made him smile.

This was one of Molly's favorite parts of build up. The musical ring of metal striking metal split the morning air, and all of his attention closed down to head of the stake in front of him, the ground under his feet, and the feel of the hammer's wooden handle in his hands. Breathe. Swing the hammer up over your head. Bend your knees to get extra power as it comes down.

_TING!_

The stake sunk another inch into the soft dirt as Molly's hammer continued it's arc, swinging up and over his head again.

_TING!_

_TING!_

_TING!_

When all but eight inches or so of the stake was buried, Molly stopped to catch his breath, shaking out his hands. They tingled from the impact of hammer hitting stake, and he knew from experience that they would be shaky and weak by the end of the day.

Looking around, he took in the swarm of activity bustling around the lot. Among the other stake pounders, he could see the twins over on the far side of the circle, both girls with hammers flying as they worked together on a single stake. It was both impressive and efficient. Kylre, in contrast, was working alone as usual, pounding away with his trademarked grim efficiency. There was a clattering sound and little Toya darted by, her arms full of ratchets that dangled on their long straps.

Molly felt a smile tugging at his lips. This was what he loved, everyone puling together, working as one to create something bigger than any of them could ever be alone. There was a pattern to setting up the tent, a dance where each person had their part to play, and Yasha, as Tentmaster, was their conductor.

Still smiling, Molly set the point of the next stake into the dirt, rolled his shoulders, and got back to work.

 

\- - -

 

Bit by bit, their world came together with the work of many hands as the day passed from early morning into afternoon. First the stakes, then the king poles. After that, Yasha carefully maneuvered the tent truck into position and the cupola rose into the air with stately grace, accompanied by the steady clicking of the tirfor cable winch. Molly joined Ornna and two of Yasha's men as they took hold of one of the folded edges of heavy vinyl canvas and ran, the blue and white striped tent unfurling behind them. Attach the ratchet straps, then push up the side poles. Quarter poles next, as Mona and Yuli scampered over the top of the canvas, lacing the two halves together. Yasha made a final circle of the tent, tightened the ratchets and directing the others to adjust the angle of the quarter poles until the canvas hummed and breathed in the gentle wind like a living thing.

It was mid afternoon by the time the last sidewall was hung, the last seating board thunked down into place on the grandstand, and their little world became complete. Before the tent was erected, they were just a collection of vagabonds in a field. Now, with the blue and white tent standing proudly for all the world to see, it's silver streamers dancing merrily from the top of the king poles, they were truly home.

Molly stepped back outside and flopped gratefully down onto the grass. He closed his eyes and let the sun, which had finally burned it's way through the clouds, warm his face. His hands and arms burned in a not-completely-unpleasant sort of way that spoke of hard work done well. It was a feeling of weariness, but also of satisfaction.

There were soft footsteps nearby, and then a small body lay down next to him, a head coming to rest on his shoulder. Molly smiled, knowing it was Toya without needing to open his eyes.

"Hey kiddo," he said, planting a kiss on the top of her blond head, "You going into town later?"

"No," she said, and Molly felt the head on his shoulder shake, "Kylre said I should stay with Ornna this time and he would bring back groceries."

"Well that doesn't sound like any fun at all!" Molly exclaimed with mock indigence, and Toya giggled.

"It's all right, he said he'd buy some-" a wracking cough cut off the girl's words, and she curled into Molly's side.

"Oh, hey now, that doesn't sound good at all!" Molly propped himself up on an elbow, rubbing Toya's back until the fit subsided. "Still bothering you, huh?"

Toya nodded glumly, sitting up and wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

"Well, I bet if you ask nicely Ornna will make you some of that awful herbal tea she likes while Kylre is away. Tea with lots of honey in it, that's just what you need. We can't have our star singer losing her voice, now can we?" Gently, he poked her cheek until she cracked a smile, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"Toya."

A shadow fell over them and Molly looked up to see Kylre, his immense bulk blocking out the sunshine Molly had been enjoying a moment before. He held out a hand, and Toya took it, bouncing to her feet.

"Bye Molly!" she called over her shoulder as Kylre lead her towards Ornna's caravan. Molly waved, then got to his feet with notably less bounce than the little girl had. He would have to do some grocery shopping of his own today, unless he wanted to be eating peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of the week. Perish the thought.

Molly always felt strange when he stepped outside the confines of the circus lot, like there was a huge blinking neon arrow floating over his head. "Over here!" it said, "Look at this person! Clearly they don't belong!"

When he was in town, he was an outsider, observing a different world where people lived in houses that didn't move, with whole rooms full of stuff in them and electricity that ran 24 hours a day. These people didn't have glitter permanently stuck in their hair and dirt stuck under their nails. They worried about things like paying their mortgages and getting their kids into the best preschool, not whether they'd be able to afford fuel for the generators or have one of their trailers confiscated by the police.

Maybe this was how they felt when they stepped into his world, a little unsettled, a little out of place. The thought made him smile. He had lived in their world for many years before he'd stumbled into this one and never looked back, and he'd take a hard day in the circus to a hard day in the 'normal world' any chance he got.

Ducking back into his room, Molly stripped off his muddied work clothes and threw on a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt, shrugging into his favorite coat. He was halfway through scrubbing the dirt from his hands and face when there was a knock on his door.

Outside stood Gustav, his long hair tied in a braid that hung down his back. He looked tired, though that seemed to be the man's constant state of existence these days.

"Hey boss!" Molly said, throwing him a grin and a sloppy salute, "What can I do for ya?"

"You heading into town later, Molly?," Gustav asked with a smile.

"I am indeed. Need anything?"

"Actually, yes, if you're willing. I know it's your afternoon off, but I was wondering if you would mind doing a bit of promotion around town, hand out some discount vouchers to the shop owners who have our posters up, that kind of thing."

Molly leaned against the doorway. "Yeah," he said, "Shouldn't be any trouble. You want me in costume and the whole bit?" He'd need to do his grocery shopping separately, if he was going into town in his full show kit, but if that's what Gustav wanted, it was the least he could do.

"Don't bother," Gustav said, waving a hand, "We may have a group go out in costume tomorrow, but I don't feel the need to make a big statement today. Or at least-" he eyed Molly with a sardonic grin, "-no bigger than usual."

Molly laughed. "We're in London again, Gustav, remember? My hair won't be enough to traumatize the little old ladies at the local charity shop the way it did up in the Lakes District. I'll be downright stealthy by comparison!"

Gustav laughed, shaking his head. "Even so, I'd feel better if you took Yasha with you, if she's willing. Let's not take chances, hmm?"

"You got it, boss," Molly said, saluting again as Gustav walked off across the grass towards his own caravan. Molly finished washing up, taking a little extra time with his hands than he might have if he wasn't planning on publicly representing the circus to a bunch of civilians.

Yasha was waiting for him by the time he was done, sitting on the grass in front of their bunk wagon in a clean t shirt and denim overalls. She got easily to her feet as Molly locked his door and hopped down the ladder, dusting off her hands and holding out a stack of flyers and discount vouchers she had apparently been given by Gustav.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yep!" Molly said with a rather toothy grin, tucking the stack of papers carefully in his pockets, "Let's go terrorize the local populous a bit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to keep the description of build up accurate without getting too confusing or going on for pages and pages. If you wanna know more about any of that, feel free to ask, or you can read more [HERE.](http://josserstories.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks again to Verity_Kindle for catching my various spelling mistakes (hopefully I got them all...O_O;;) and making sure I didn't get too overly technical with everything.
> 
> As always, feel free to come flail with me on Tumblr! I'm [circuschickadee](http://circuschickadee.tumblr.com/) there as well.


End file.
